Fourteen people were taken to hospitals after a boat fire at Spring Brook Marina in Seneca late this afternoon. What’s left of the boat sank. A company that can remove it was called in.
Illinois State Police say 17 people were on the boat. One of the people hurt works for the marina. Thirteen of the people hurt went to local hospitals with injuries not considered life-threatening. One was flown to Loyola Medical Center and was in critical condition this evening.
The fire happened by the fuel dock. Fuel absorbing foam was on the water there. Environmental personnel were called to the scene.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police Sgt. Phil Wire says the boat was at the dock for fueling. That was completed, so the fire was not related to fueling. Otherwise, the cause isn’t known. Wire says the boat’s bottom will probably be removed from the water Sunday.
Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Conservation Police, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Seneca Fire Dept. were at the scene tonight.